DEPUTY D.A. RECEIVES TOP NATIONAL PROSECUTION AWARD

Atlanta- Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Shondeana (Crews) Morris has been selected by the Board of Directors of the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation (AGACL) to receive the Trial Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Capital Cases for 2008-2009. Ms. Morris’ selection means that she is recognized as one of the top criminal prosecutors in the entire country.

Shondeana Morris joined the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in 1999.  She was promoted to Deputy DA in 2008 and oversees the Crimes Against Women and Children Unit which is the largest special unit in the DA’s office. She was chosen for the (AGACL) award for her stellar performances in two recently tried death penalty cases: State vs. De Kelvin Martin and State vs. Demetrius Willis.  Martin was sentenced to death in February 2009 following his conviction for rape and murder. In 2002, in a fit of anger, Martin raped his girlfriend then brutally stabbed to death her 12-year old son and her elderly grandmother and grandfather. Willis received the death penalty in July 2008 for killing his former girlfriend, her boyfriend and the couple’s three-year old son in a hail of gunfire. Willis also shot and left for dead his own 10-year old daughter in this incident.

Shondeana Morris is considered by her peers as the epitome of hard work and dedication. During the State vs. DeKelvin Martin case, Ms. Morris’ grandmother passed away, rather than request removal from the case or a delay in the proceedings, Morris made the funeral arrangements, attended the services and returned to complete the prosecution of Martin. Often assigned to high-profile and complicated cases, Morris has earned 48 convictions in the 50 cases she has prosecuted during her tenure.

The (AGACL) honor is the third major national award won by Fulton County Prosecutors within the past two years.  Assistant District Attorneys Kellie Hill, Sheila Ross Clint Rucker and former Fulton ADA Anna Green received the 2007 “Home Run-Hitters” Awardpresented by the National District Attorney’s Association (NDAA). Additionally, District Attorney Howard and ADA Laura Janssen were honored by the Humane Society of the United States and (NDAA) with the 2007 Humane Law Enforcement Award.  

Ms. Morris is a graduate of Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. She has a graduate degree in Criminal Justice from Albany State University and an undergraduate degree in Journalism from The University of Georgia.

The (AGACL) award will be presented to Deputy DA Morris during a special ceremony at the organization’s 30th Annual Summer Conference in Miami on July 31, 2009.